Calgary Flames struggling for answers amid another losing streak

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All people thought the worst stretch of the Calgary Flames’ season was within the rearview mirror.

Actually. The Flames themselves thought they have been previous it.

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“I assumed we left that kind of play in October and November,” defenceman MacKenzie Weegar stated after one other disappointing defeat this week.

Their six-game dropping streak firstly of the season put them behind the eight-ball, however it might be defined away as a crew discovering its toes and dealing by way of the challenges of a brand new defensive system beneath a brand new head coach.

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It’s tougher to make excuses for his or her present four-game slide.

“We’ve taken a step again, for positive,” Flames head coach Ryan Huska stated after Thursday night time’s 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. “The sport in opposition to Toronto, there have been plenty of good issues in there. Actually, the 2 video games that we’re not overly happy with are the final two.

“These ones are more durable to swallow once you’re in a struggle and people are factors that when, you’re at dwelling, you wish to be sure you’re doing all the pieces you may to get these factors and I don’t assume we had the mandatory power that we needed to play with tonight.”

It might be straightforward to eviscerate the Flames right here.

They’re on the tail-end of a six-game homestand that they’d hoped would lock them in as contenders for a playoff place heading into the all-star break.

As an alternative, they’ve crashed.

After beating the Arizona Coyotes of their first of a half-dozen on the Dome, they’ve fallen to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues and the Blue Jackets.

They’re now in third-last place within the Western Convention, sitting six factors again of the second wild-card spot and must leapfrog 4 groups to place themselves in a playoff place.

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So yeah, this four-game stretch has put them in a deep gap. The massive image is fairly ugly.

But it surely’s the smaller stuff that’s attending to the Flames, particularly the truth that they don’t appear to be enjoying with a ton of urgency within the precise second the place they should come out and present that they’re up for the struggle.

“I believe we’ve been lacking somewhat little bit of power, at instances in video games,” Flames captain Mikael Backlund stated. “We now have to play quite a bit with power and tempo and after we don’t, groups reap the benefits of us.

“Final road-trip there, we had a lot power and performed so nicely, then we come dwelling and it simply hasn’t been fairly the identical.”

There’s a frustration that appears to have began settling in with the Flames.

After every recent disappointment, they’ve talked about shifting on and enjoying their greatest recreation of the season the subsequent time they get the prospect.

That hasn’t translated into game-to-game enhancements, although. As Huska famous earlier, it really feels just like the Flames may need gotten worse.

“I imply, plenty of urgency,” Weegar stated when he was requested what was lacking after Tuesday’s loss to the Blues. “That’s after we get collectively, we speak as a gaggle, the leaders speak to everyone as a gaggle. I’m positive everyone will say ‘It’s a brand new day tomorrow, get to work, come ready for the subsequent recreation.’ That’s all nice however we really must do it.”

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Irrespective of how you narrow it, the Flames have to beat the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night time. They want their sputtering energy play to begin producing. They want power and urgency and desperation. They should cease giving up so many alternatives defensively.

They want all of that in the event that they’re going to remain within the playoff struggle.

And, even then, you need to surprise if it’s too little, too late.

The Flames by no means actually had 82 video games to point out what they have been this season.

With Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev all set to turn out to be unrestricted free-agents this summer season, GM Craig Conroy has to both decide to his core and attempt to get them re-signed or transfer them earlier than the commerce deadline and attempt to get belongings in return.

The clock is ticking on when that call must be made. The Flames paused contract negotiations throughout their six-game slide earlier within the season.

To their credit score, the crew dug themselves out of that gap. We don’t know the way that affected Conroy’s considering.

After this present drop in kind although, it’s onerous to think about how he’d take a look at the standings and considering that working this again is the fitting name.

Contenders may need one blip of their season. They don’t usually have two.

“It’s unacceptable,” Flames defenceman Chris Tanev stated. “4 straight losses at dwelling once you’re attempting to make the playoffs.”

daustin@postmedia.com

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